NOVPUBThe central army was composed of three thousand five hundred fervent Holy City warriors, organized tightly under the roaring leadership of Commander Olosh. On each flank were four thousand warriors armed with long spears. The spear warriors were silent, arrayed in tight and orderly phalanxes, their spears slanting forward. The left flank was under the command of "Monkey" Kuluka, and the right, temporarily pulled back, was under Ezpan. Further out, the outer perimeters of both wings were entrusted to the warrior legions of the western City-States, approximately two thousand on each side. They held shields and war clubs, shouting loudly, looking quite formidable.
For this battle, Xiulote had gathered a maximal force, conscripting warriors from everywhere possible. The four thousand troops from the western City-States had been pulled from the Rivermouth fortress, quickly transported by the naval army. He dared not entrust the task of confronting the enemy warriors to these nobility militias; instead, he directed them against the militia of Chapala. When faced with weaker foes, these City-State warriors always thoroughly demonstrated their fighting prowess.
Just behind the frontline formations were three thousand warriors of the Religious Legion on standby. The Divine warriors and Temple Guards stood opposite each other, praying softly. Chants praising the Chief Divine echoed through the ranks, soothing the warriors’ spirits and elevating their combat will. These three thousand fanatical religious warriors were like sharp daggers, once thrust fiercely forward into the enemy’s body, they could not be withdrawn.
Xiulote personally instructed the two generals to reserve the three thousand religious warriors for a decisive charge at a critical moment. Next to the Religious Legion, there stood two "Divinely Gifted" weapons, mighty wooden cannons that produced thunderous booms. Clay tribulus did not consistently perform well and were unfit for the rapidly changing conditions of field warfare, so the young leader brought these two "big whips".
Although called wooden cannons, they resembled oversized shotguns. Within eighty steps, they wrecked havoc on soldiers in regular clothes, within forty, those in cotton armor, and only within twenty could they kill elite warriors armored in leather with wooden shields. They could fire only once or twice per quarter-hour. However, the shotgun’s effective firing range was broad, covering several steps to either side. Moreover, for the enemy encountering them for the first time, the immense booming was an absolute morale destroyer, as if myth had come to life!
To prepare the warriors from various states, Xiulote had held a large sacrificial rite before the army’s departure. The wooden cannons, as weapons bestowed by the Chief Divine, were engraved with abstract divine patterns and made a shining entrance under everyone’s gaze. Subsequently, amid the thunderous roars, the warriors were awed, bowing before the God of Thunder’s weaponry. Led by the Priests, they swiftly transformed their fear of the unknown into devout faith in the divine, accepting the presence of these new weapons.
At this moment, the Religious Legion guarded these two Divinely Gifted weapons as fervently as they protected their faith!
Xiulote surveyed his forces: over thirteen thousand warriors, eight thousand spear troops, plus a battery with two wooden cannons — this was the grand Mexica army in his command! Satisfied, he nodded, waved the splendid battle flag, and the earth-shaking war drums began to sound. The Mexica warriors lowered their war clubs, the spear troops hoisted their long spears, and together they stepped deliberately and orderly toward the enemy across from them.
On the opposite hill, the Prince’s banner flew high. "Feathers" Pengguari stared intensely at the opposing Black Wolf banner, making a resolute vow. He was determined to wash away the disgrace of retreating without battle, to seize the enemy Marshal’s flag, to prove to all the Chapala nobility:
"I ’Feathers’ Pengguari, am a true warrior! A Commander-in-Chief capable of victory! And the undeniable King of the Tarasco people!"
Pengguari tightly gripped the Divine Staff in his hand, then swung it vigorously forward. His eyes shone with a chilling light. If the enemy’s longbow held the range advantage, let the militia use up all the arrows!
With the battle flag forward and the attack drum sounding, four thousand Tarasco stone-throwing militia, arrayed in a loose formation, hastily advanced toward the Mexica’s army. Then, standing fifty steps away, they swung their slings, erupting into chaotic shouts, hurling a sky-full of whistling stones into the dense formation.
Facing the incoming lightly armoured stone throwers, Xiulote furrowed his brow. He commanded the army to halt, suppressing the warriors’ urge to charge, maintaining the orderly formation. He then loudly ordered "Raise shields to defend," and the Messenger Officer quickly lifted the flag, running and shouting the command.
In the hearts of the soldiers, the Marshal’s authority was supreme, and his commands were indisputable. The warriors promptly raised their wooden shields, lowered their heads adorned with rattan helmets, and silently endured the barrage of stones. Occasionally, a stone would pierce through a gap, striking the warriors’ cotton armor or even their exposed faces. After two rounds of stone throwing, dozens of warriors were slightly injured, several bled from mouths and noses, and a few were gravely wounded or killed.
Xiulote again waved the command flag. The three thousand personal army troops immediately set their bows, raised their crossbows, and from a hundred steps away launched arrows at the stone throwers. Within moments, thousands of arrows, carrying sharp cries, obstructed the sky briefly before raining down into the militia below.
Over two hundred Tarasco militia screamed simultaneously as they were pierced by the powerful long arrows, pinned in various strange poses on the ground. They wore only their thin shirts, utterly defenseless against the longbows and powerful crossbows. A hit meant severe injury, and at this time, severe injury meant death! Driven by fear, the stone-throwing militia became even more disorganized, showing signs of breaking ranks.
The Young Commander kept the command flag steady. The three thousand personal army troops continued firing, shooting three more volleys. The expensive arrows swept elegant and merciless arcs, "whistling" into the enemy’s formation, piercing Chapala militia bodies, blooming over four hundred crimson flowers. The four thousand stone throwers quickly broke and turned, running towards the rear.
